53 Easter Side Dishes for a Spring Celebration
Whether ham, lamb, or a bounty of spring vegetables is on the menu for your Easter dinner, you’ll need a supporting cast of characters to make it a meal—that’s where these Easter side dishes come in. These recipes will help you take advantage of the bountiful produce the season has to offer: bright peas, crunchy radishes, glossy heads of lettuce, and much, much more. You can take the laid-back approach and toss together a quick salad, or if you prefer a little warmth to your veggies, roast them with honey or braise them in butter. And let’s not forget about the casseroles: Bubbling potato gratin and classic macaroni and cheese are perennial crowdpleasers. Finally, Easter is the perfect time to take on a project, so yes, you should absolutely make homemade dinner rolls or biscuits—all the better for sandwiching leftovers.
Head this way for a roundup of all our favorite Easter recipes →
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne3/53Roasted Asparagus With Garlic
This simple garlicky asparagus dish goes with practically anything on your Easter menu. Beware of cooking them off too early, though: they’re all too easy for eager fingers to grab one by one.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi4/53Green Bean Casserole With Crispy Fried Onions
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Judy Haubert5/53Roasted Sweet Potatoes With Spiced Maple Glaze
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka6/53Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Garlic and Pancetta
We put brussels sprouts on heavy rotation from Thanksgiving through spring, and come Easter, no: We’re still not tired of them. Here, pancetta crisps alongside the sprouts as they roast for a boost of salty flavor.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich9/53Two Potato Sauté
Use a melon baller to make little orbs of both regular and sweet potatoes for this vintage Gourmet recipe. A simple seasoning of butter, salt, pepper, and parsley is all they need to shine on the dinner table.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Anne Eastman, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich11/53Parker House Rolls
The quintessential dinner rolls of every holiday meal, golden Parker House rolls are beloved for their pillowy-soft crumb. They’re also the roll of choice for leftover sandwiches.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Megan Hedgpeth, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich12/53Green Beans in Pork Stock
These green beans from legendary chef and cookbook author Edna Lewis are a smoky, vegetal revelation. Did we mention they only require three ingredients?
Photo by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova13/53Greek-Style Lemon Potatoes With Garlic and Oregano (Patates Riganates)
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne14/53Roasted Carrots and Parsnips With Honey
This is a perfect side dish for Easter ham. The complementary roots are swathed in balsamic-laced honey butter after they emerge warm and caramelized from the oven.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Prop Styling by Sophie Strangio, Food Styling by Monica Pierini16/53Smashed Green Bean Salad With Crispy Shallots
Photo and Food Styling by Joseph De Leo17/53Sourdough Biscuits
No buttermilk on hand? Achieve tangy biscuits with discarded sourdough starter, which also gives them a little lift. And if you want to keep them vegan, plant-based butter works nearly as well as the regular thing.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Pearl Jones19/53Cacio e Pepe Pie
We love a pot of gooey, creamy mac and cheese, but if you’re looking for something a touch more elegant (that could double as a vegetarian Easter main), this sliceable pasta bake is the recipe for you. While best served warm, the leftovers are also delicious cold.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce21/53Persian Rice With Fava Beans and Dill (Baqala Polow)
Najmieh Batmanglij, a prolific author of Persian cookbooks, says this dish of rice and fresh fava beans flavored with rose water, cinnamon, and dill is a must for spring. We couldn’t agree more.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen22/53Orange Sweet Rolls
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell23/53Creamy Potato and Leek Gratin
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Frances Boswell24/53Braised Leeks, Peas, and Lettuce
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Kaitlin Wayne25/53Our Favorite Mac and Cheese
You need a classic macaroni and cheese recipe for holidays, summer barbecues, and weeknight dinners. With silky cheese sauce and a crunchy breadcrumb topping, this one’s our absolute favorite.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone26/53Our Favorite Mashed Potatoes
Mashed potatoes can be done in many different ways, but this garlicky, sour cream-enriched version pairs well with roasted lamb, glazed ham, grilled salmon, or any other main dish on your Easter menu.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Pearl Jones27/53Young Carrots With Spring Onions, Sumac, and Anchovies
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell28/53Cheesy Corn Spoon Bread
You don’t need fresh corn to make this spoonable Easter side dish, which combines finely-ground cornmeal, canned creamed corn, fontina, and tangy sour cream. Sitting at the intersection of skillet cornbread and corn casserole, it brings ample warmth to the table.
Photo by Benito Martin and Jess Johnson29/53Iceberg With Dried Oregano Dressing and Creamy Sheep’s Milk Cheese
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Erika Joyce30/53Crispy Salt and Pepper Potatoes
These crispy potato poppers are salty and crispy on the outside, but soft and luscious within. Serve them with ranch dip or garlicky aioli.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Anna Hampton32/53Shaved Carrot Salad With Radishes, Herbs, and Pumpkin Seeds
Sharon Radisch33/53Spinach and Sorrel Spanakopita
Serve these herby phyllo triangles (stuffed with spinach, sorrel, and feta) as handheld appetizers or present them on the Easter dinner table alongside tzatziki.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Susan Kim34/53Zucchini and White Bean Caesar
This spring salad has all the best parts of Caesar salad—creamy, briny dressing, crunchy croutons, and lots of Parmesan cheese—minus the lettuce.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton35/53Fusilli in Creamy Vegan Asparagus Pesto
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Grace Parisi37/53Buttermilk Biscuits With Honey Butter
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Sean Dooley, Prop Styling by Allison Ritchie39/53Wedge Salad With Toasted Sesame-Seaweed Ranch
Give ranch dressing a makeover by stirring in crumbled seaweed snacks. Drizzle the dressing over iceberg wedges to make a refreshing side dish.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Stevie Stewart40/53Easy Zucchini Bread
It’s always a good idea to have vegetables on the holiday table—especially if they’re disguised in loaf form. Serve this zucchini bread at Easter brunch or add it to a sideboard full of Easter cakes.
Photo by Bobbi Lin41/53Duchess Baked Potatoes
The fanciest mashed potato move: these make-ahead beauties, which have the texture of a twice-baked potato and look great in a casserole dish you can bring along wherever your Easter celebration is taking place.
Photo by Andrew Purcell, prop styling by Sarah Cave, and food styling by Carrie Purcell42/53Green Salad With Radishes and Creamy Mustard Dressing
Dress your choice of lettuce (Little Gem, romaine, frisée, escarole—any leafy greens will do) in a creamy mixture of Dijon and egg yolks.
Photo by Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich43/53Parsnip Confit With Pickled Currants
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Joe Sevier and Anna Stockwell45/53Fluffy Cathead Biscuits With Honey Butter
These biscuits (named for their outsized proportions) are great for Easter brunch, but they’re even better with leftover ham for a late-night snack.
Photo by Jonny Valiant46/53Artichokes Braised in Lemon and Olive Oil
Spring is peak artichoke season—this recipe will teach you how to break one down and braise the hearts for a bright, simple side.
49/53Hot Cross Buns
No Easter menu would be complete without these quintessential buns. You can use any dried fruit in this versatile recipe: We like a mix of chopped dates, cranberries, apricots, and cherries, but you can also keep it conventional with raisins or currants.
Photo by David Loftus51/53Bubble and Squeak With Stilton
This endearingly-named British classic transforms leftover vegetables—in this case, potatoes, carrots, and brussels sprouts—into a stunning side for honey-glazed ham.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Katherine Sacks53/533-Ingredient Roasted Carrots With Pistachio Pesto
